Velvet Storm
by Teardrop Dreamer
Summary: The grandest competition in the Asian entertainment industry is finally under way. Among carefully selected celebrities around Asia, including rising supermodel Hinamori Amu, idol singer Hoshina Utau, and others that don't want to reveal themselves just yet - only one will come out victorious. They'll do whatever it takes to win, even if they are against the ones they love.
1. Fateful Flight: Part I

Pairings: Amu x Ikuto; Minor Amu x Everyone

Disclaimer: I own this story and not Shugo Chara! Inspired by a music video/request.

Rating: 12 and up are welcome!

AN: So, as you all might have known, I used to have a gender bender story. Not anymore! I've decided to cast that off to write a new story inspired by a music video I watched recently. I tried to make the transition to this idea with the original chapters for Passion Perfect, but I disliked it. Sorry, blu2012, and thank you for writing a review for it anyways. c:

Also, someone (they asked to be kept unnamed, and I respect privacy) requested that I write in normal point of view for this story or at least Amu's point of view instead. Since the anonymous person is a good friend of mine, I said yes and will be doing normal point of view for this story. c:

Oh, and to make less work for myself, this story will be in past tense, unlike my other two. This way I can definitely update and write much faster, because writing in present tense is actually a self-challenge, haha. I have big plans for this story, so that's why I'd like to get it going. After all, I'm going to graduate high school soon c:

Warnings: Rating is subject to change, but enjoy it anyways.

* * *

**Velvet Storm**

* * *

Ikuto silently entered the plane that was already crowded with several other people. Tired but thankful, he managed to find his seat by the window in an empty row, only hoping that no one bothersome would be sitting in it with him. The blue-haired man carefully shoved his suitcase in the above compartment before pulling his headphones over his ears, buckling his seat belt, and adjusting the seat so that he could lean comfortably during the ride. With his violin playlist starting, Tsukiyomi Ikuto simply watched the background of the airport, waiting for takeoff.

Hinamori Amu sighed, flipping her hair off her shoulder as she pulled her black, studded suitcase behind her. "Seat 16B... 16B..." The girl muttered to herself, walking in the aisle down until she reached the row number. "Ah, found it." With her poker face fully composed, she carelessly tossed her case above next to the others and took her seat, which was in the middle. Someone had already gotten to their row first, as another man was already sitting next to the window. He looked over to give her a small smile, patting the seat beside him. She didn't smile back, but sat down instead. However, that did not discourage the overly social brunette.

"I'm Kukai! It's nice to meet you!" He laughed brightly, holding his hand out for her to shake it, only to be coldly turned down as the pinkette put in her earphones to block all sound out. With a frown, he tapped her shoulder until she took one of the plugs out. "Can I get your name and maybe your number too?" He donned his winning, killer grin, teeth sparkling in the process.

"Hinamori Amu, and no." She went back to her music, internally sighing. Couldn't she have sat next to someone quieter? Kukai seemed to finally get the message and pouted, leaning in the armrest towards her, and she edged away as much as possible. She even tried sitting on the aisle seat, but he only took up her middle one. "Who would have thought that the great model Hinamori Amu would be so cold in person? My manager told me that it was all an act, so there's no need to act when no one from our company is around..."

Amu wanted to groan and tell him to go away in a screeching voice, but it would rather unbecoming of her, so she decided to handle this more coolly. "It's not an act. So you could stop getting so close to me? I'm trying to rest. It'd be better if you found someone else to talk to, Souma Kukai."

"Come on, I'll even sing to you. How about my latest single, _Soccer Love_?"

"No thank you."

"But-"

"Excuse me," the pinkette immediately stood up and went to the row behind her, spying a blue-haired man and a green-haired one in the seats. She only recognized one of them, and that was Sanjou Kairi, a fellow model and also the Character Entertainment director's son. "Can I switch seats with you, Kairi?" That was exactly when variety show host Yuiki Yaya also showed up, taking Amu's seat since Kukai moved back to the window, sneaking puppy peeks at his idol pinkette. "Yuiki Yaya and Souma Kukai are sitting next to me, and I actually need some sleep during the flight. Please, Kairi?"

Immensely wanting to appeal to his longtime crush, he adjusted his glasses and folded his laptop. "Alright. Where's your seat?"

"Up here," Amu pointed in the middle of Kukai and Yaya. "Thank you."

"I understand how busy your schedule was last night, so it's fine." He stood up and walked over to Amu's seat while Amu took his. To her gratuity, the unrecognizable man sitting beside her didn't seem to care about anything but the view outside. That was, by all means, fine with her, even if she was wondering who he was to be able to get on this plane. After all, everyone on this flight has been carefully selected out of the most famous and good-looking people in the world to go to a worldwide, renowned competition.

"It doesn't matter," she mumbled under her breath. It was better for the girl not to get too involved with other people anyways, at least, not before her debut. Yes, Hinamori Amu was a rising supermodel for Character Entertainment's main fashion line: Open Heart. However, she was recently offered a promotion to be able to debut with a ten-year contract to their entertainment line under a few conditions. She was on this plane to meet the final one.

Utau stomped onto the plane, feeling furious. Not only did her older brother leave her to get to the plane first on his own, but she had been stuck in unbearable traffic plus the immense hassle she went through to get to the boarding area safely without the paparazzi pestering her was hellish. "Tch... Ikuto! Where are you?" she cooed, hoping that her voice that had pulled in thousands of her fans before could lure out the location of her brother. After all, her seat was definitely close to his. "Ikuto!"

She ended up having to find him by her own vision sight. "Ah, Ikuto, there you are!" she laughed when her eyes finally locked on his blue hair.

Ikuto completely ignored her, as did Amu. When Utau made her way over to the row, she was shocked to see the pinkette separating her seat from Ikuto's. "Excuse me, old hag, but could you move over a seat so I can sit with my dear brother?" Upon hearing "old hag", Amu simply continued to rest, her eyes still closed even when the blonde merciless kept tapping her shoulder. "I said, old hag, wake up."

"Why don't you just shut it," Amu said as she opened her eyes, glaring icily at the annoying blonde and immediately identified her in her head. This was Hoshina Utau, a famous singer who debuted two years ago under Easter, and her singles are almost always claiming the number one rank on the charts. To Amu, this was a future rival. "Just sit where you're supposed to and don't bother other people."

"Do you know who I am?" Utau laughed mockingly at the pinkette, pointing in her face. "You don't, do you, Hinamori Amu. I know you - you're a model, big deal. Though I admit Character Entertainment is of equal status of Easter Entertainment, you're nowhere near my popularity rank. It's better if you get on my good side, no?"

"No," the model immediately blew her off and instead turned to the man beside her. "Are you going to take care of your baby sister? I can't stand her harassing me for a simple seat when I'm trying to get some shut-eye."

"Hn," he muttered, shifting his position so that he was now looking straight at Amu, examining her. For a model, she had a lot of spunk talking to his younger sister like that when she was a top idol in the industry. She didn't seem to be jealous or anything like that though - just grouchy. "Is she bothering you that much? Why don't you keep entertaining her and let me take a break from her antics for a while, yes?"

"You know what? You two are a bit irritating. I'll just move," Amu said, annoyed. She began to stand up when suddenly his hand pulled her back down, her face twisting into a shocked expression. "What?"

"Your angry face doesn't suit you. Go back to sleep."

"Ikuto!" Utau whined. "I can't believe you and her... What is she to you?"

"My seatmate," he replied nonchalantly, and the blonde gritted her teeth, aiming her glare at Amu. "Don't give her any problems, Utau. We're only just getting to know each other."

"Don't think this is the last of me, hag! And Ikuto, I'll see when we reach our destination then~ If I sit next to her I might catch her wrinkles," the singer smirked before taking her leave further down the aisle, yelling at some other poor celebrity to give her their seat. They did and, too afraid of Utau's famed wrath, took one of the extra second-class seats in the back instead.

"How troublesome," Ikuto sighed. He turned over to find the girl next to him reading a magazine. "Is that you?" he asked, pointing to the page where Amu's image was blown up as the cover page for the upcoming section that featured the Open Heart fashion line for this month's edition. The pinkette had picked it up on the way to the airport to see how she looked. "So you're a supermodel."

"I suppose," Amu said, quickly flipping the page only to find many more images of herself in different outfits. In fact, this whole section seemed to feature only her. There was even a public biography about her at the end of it.

"I've got the same edition right here," he smiled, showing her the front cover of it. "Utau's the cover's model for this. She handed it to me this morning before I left." He began turning to the pages where Amu was featured and looked at it thoroughly, pointing at one where she was donning a black leather bikini. "You're more out there than I thought."

She blushed and turned away. "Don't stare at it, p-pervert."

"But it's difficult not to when the real thing is right next to me," he smirked, chuckling as he closed the book. "You're a weird one though... How can you act so cool around Easter's top idols? First Utau, and even me... Don't you even feel the lest bit flustered?" He stopped in realization. "Actually, it's not much of a surprise... My name's a taboo in your company after all."

Amu stared confusingly at him. What did he mean? "Are you telling me that there's someone as famous as Hoshina Utau that I haven't heard of?"

"It's not much of a shocker. I used to be in Character, you know. But then Easter simply offered me a much better deal for my talent, and I skyrocketed. Character is useless - and if you don't get out there soon, you'll be missing out."

"Missing out? Please, Character is the best agency out there. Yours, on the other hand, is a slave-driving company. I'm surprised you're in such good condition. They must have let you rest from the abuse for a day or two," Amu spat back, covering him from her sight by placing the magazine on her face as she leaned back.

"Slaves? If you're talking about slaves, then every idol in the company are the masters... If you take what you said back, I might consider letting you become one of my slaves."

"In your dreams."

"You really don't know who I am?"

"I don't understand why I should."

Ikuto only laughed as the pilot spoke through the speaker. "_Please prepare for takeoff and buckle your seatbelts now. The emergency situation steps will be playing on the screens on the back of every seat, so please watch in case of anything occurring during the flight."_

"Don't forget to buckle, strawberry," he said, pointing at her unbuckled belt. "Or would you like me to do it for you?"

The pinkette blushed furiously, feeling flushed at what he implied. "I-I'll do it myself!" she spouted inconsistently, hurriedly trying to buckle her belt and giving the man beside her dirty glances after. "How can someone as perverted as you be famous?"

"_Now taking off. Please keep your belts on at all times. I repeat, we are now taking off. Have a happy flight._"

"I'm not perverted at all," Ikuto sighed, shrugging. "I'm just Tsukiyomi Ikuto."

That's when it snapped in Amu's mind. "You? You're _the_ Tsukiyomi Ikuto?" She quickly unbuckled her seatbelt to stand up, realization ringing in her mind. "I can't believe I'm sitting next to someone like-"

She was suddenly cut off when the plane began to soar upwards, roaring while Amu lost her balance and fell into the arms of only one person possible.

"Yep, I'm _that_ Tsukiyomi Ikuto," he said, tightening his arms around her frozen body that had just fallen on top of him. "Let's get to know each other, interesting little strawberry."

* * *

And so, what do you all think? c: I had to reread this a lot of times to get the first point of view mistakes out of this chapter, because I'm so used to first point of view! This is another challenge for me, but that's okay, because I'm a challenge-taker! I'm very excited to get this story going. Any comments, questions, concerns?

Please drop a review if you think I should continue this instead of my original "Passion Perfect" story from before. It's got the same going idea in general, but in a different setting/universe. c:


	2. Fateful Flight: Part II

Pairings: Amu x Ikuto; Minor Amu x Everyone

Disclaimer: I own this story and not Shugo Chara! Inspired by a music video/request.

Rating: 12 and up are welcome!

AN: As a reply to blu2012, this story isn't relatable to the chapters that were just posted for Passion Perfect before it was deleted. It was the plot idea that the older story was about to get into that will be similar to this one. I'm glad that there has been a positive view for this story thus far - and "c:" is my favorite keyboard face. c: Also, I was thinking of naming this story Sand Dollar, but changed it to Velvet Storm.

Anyways, it looks like I'll be continuing this story after all; maybe Passion Perfect will be kept for safekeeping until the opportunity arises for it. For now, Velvet Storm seems to be doing fine and it'll probably be one of my most focused stories along with Inconsistency because Black Corsair is currently on Hiatus. Not because I don't know where it's going, but because I have writer's block for it. It's a weird situation.

On a more personal level, I'm stuck trying to learn Do You Love Me by 2NE1, a song that just came out and is really, really catchy... I'm a big fan of them, and so is my group, so it's now an official project and I think I'm dying trying to learn Minzy's part. (BTW, she's my favorite c:) So that's why I'll be disappearing after this update for a while.

Without any further distractions, please enjoy the chapter!

Warnings: Rating is subject to change... c;

* * *

**Velvet Storm**

* * *

Though the pinkette was still purposefully ignoring him now that the aircraft had become stable in the air, Ikuto only felt more intrigued to get to know the girl better. He usually didn't want to have anything to do with Character Entertainment, but there was simply something about her. After all, she must have been the only one who didn't recognize him as Tsukiyomi Ikuto on the spot, plus she even dared speak so rudely to his prideful younger sister. Her personality was unique, much to his interest.

"Come on now, you really only noticed _after_ I tell you my name? That's almost insulting," he chuckled, leaning on the pinkette's armrest. Amu simply let out a low growl, turning away to continue reading the magazine she had brought. "I'm not _that_ bad of a person. What exactly does Yukari make me out to be in your company, hmm?" With an even more furious expression on her face now, Ikuto felt like egging her on even more.

"You don't care anyways, so why bother asking? You probably already know exactly what you are to Character," she spat in return, hoping that he would get a hint from her cold attitude. Of course, Ikuto simply wouldn't be himself if he actually took it.

"But I don't," he teased, though it was true that he already knew. It was easy enough to figure out by now even if he didn't. "Why not tell me? It wouldn't be bad if you did."

Amu continued to cast the man's words aside, delving further into the no longer interesting magazine in her hands. Not even the scandals page could keep her mind from thinking about Tsukiyomi Ikuto, and not in the good way. Although that scandal on Hoshina Utau's brother complex got her for a few minutes... Until she realized that it was about the blue head.

"Strawberry..."

"Fine." she said, throwing down her magazine in frustration. "What do you want to know? Huh? Let's get it over with," she spoke icily, her words beginning to lower the temperature around the two.

"Didn't I just ask you?" Ikuto rolled his eyes, hiding the playful smirk on his face and facing the window now. "You get upset too easily. And I'm tired of asking the same question over and over again. You're not as interesting as I thought." Amu wanted to bite the shoulders off of his attitude-filled shrug.

"You know what she thought of you? Yukari told me everything, and I know what you are. You're a gold-digging, scandal-creating, lying little-" A hand quickly covered her mouth, stopping her short in the middle of her insult to him.

"Not so loud," he sighed, removing his hand now. "I see. Still a dark reputation... But it was the past. Look where I am now. It was better for me to leave Character after all. Easter..." Ikuto seemed to lose his track of thought after mentioning that, and Amu didn't feel like snapping him back to reality. "Easter is where I belong."

"Well," Amu replied, now closing her eyes and shifting to get comfortable in the adjusted, velvety seat. "It's good that you're long gone. Yukari will never accept you again, and if you'll excuse me... I'm going to nap. You've wasted more than enough of my time."

Ikuto gave a soft smile, though Amu couldn't see it. "Sweet dreams."

"I don't need it," she replied back before the soft tumble of the plane lulled her to sleep.

* * *

It was a dark place. Everyone was in the audience - her family, her friends. They all sat on chairs on the huge stage, staring into the million-seat audience before them. Nervous as hell, the pinkette sweated in stress, fidgeting with her fingers in her seat as her face remained straight and cool. The spotlight swam around the entire area, briefly illuminating one place to another.

"It's time to choose the winner," the announcer said, smiling as he gestured towards all the contestants, and Amu met his eyes. Hope burned in her heart, it burned as if it were on fire. Everything felt so pressured as the man took his time pronouncing the name of whose dreams would come true. She only hoped that it was her, it had to be her.

"And the winner is... _Not Hinamori Amu_."

Eh?

And then the spotlight hit her like a bullet, piercing her darkness to light her up with the shine of humiliation. The audience laughed and booed at her, pointing protruding little fingers at her while they commented on the announcement. The people competing around her were even worse; some glared at her for the attention she was receiving, others laughed along with the audience, some others looked at her pitifully and the few exceptions only ignored everything that had to do with her. She was drowning.

She was drowning in the spotlight, and there was nothing she could hold onto to save herself. There was absolutely nothing.

"N-No!" she shouted in a low pitch, waking up feeling extremely clammy as her eyes snapped open wider than clam shells. She rubbed each of her eyes and shivered from the sudden coolness in the plane. That was all a dream? Amu hadn't dreamed of anything in a long time, so this dream was awfully rare and disturbing. It wasn't something she could cast aside, although it would have been nice to.

A heaviness lagged on her shoulder, which felt stiffer than the left one. Turning her head ever so slightly, she couldn't spot anything to the side but pure azure strands, some poking her in the pores and some silkily brushed against her skin. "Wh-what?" the model stuttered, picking his head off her shoulder very carefully and then pushing the armrest between them up so that nothing could get in her way. Slowly, she pushed his head to the other side of his chair by the window and then let go. But instead of staying on the window, his entire body pulsed and fell, his head shockingly landing on the upper part of her lap. "Wh-what the?" she began panicking.

But his face seemed calm, as opposed to the sneaky smirks and cat-like behavior that was going on before she had fallen asleep. Waking him up would surely get him to only tease her further or pester her about his position between Character and Easter. That was just as worse as letting him lay on her lap for a bit... Maybe she could even use it against him later. No, never mind, he'd probably like that.

"Ah, what the hell..." she muttered, tilting her head over to examine his face a bit closely since she had the chance to. Not many people would be able to see Ikuto asleep on their lap this close, in fact, maybe there wasn't even a person who had that opportunity at all yet. His skin was smooth and clear, without a single blemish on it. His eyelashes were long and curled beautifully, brows shaped just as nice. What's more, his lips looked moist and soft, and by accident she found her hand almost touching it. "Tch!" she clicked her tongue, pulling her hand back and resting her chin on her palm as her arm was propped up on the armrest. "Damn Tsukiyomi."

Little did she know, the man on her lap was not sleeping at all.

'This feels nice,' he thought, perfectly holding back his smirk as the flight continued towards their destination.

* * *

"Hey, Kairi, what's the relationship between you and Amu?" Kukai asked, completely curious. "We're all in the same company, but she seems so much nicer to you! It's not fair... We should have a ramen contest to compete for her heart!"

"Kukai, isn't it obvious? We're both models for the same fashion line in Character, and she is my senpai. I treat her with respect, so she does the same for me. You, on the other hand, are a singer. She doesn't know you personally at all," Kairi said in a matter-of-fact manner. "And I'm not going to compete with you for her heart when you don't even have a chance."

"Yaya thinks Amu isn't all that, but Amu is very pretty, even in person!" the brunette smiled. "She's actually a bit nicer than she is now, Kukai-tan. When Yaya had her on Yaya's show, she was cold, but when Yaya talked to her backstage, Amu-chi was kind!"

"Why isn't she kind to me?" Kukai whined.

"Because she doesn't know you. Do I have to repeat this over and over again?"

"Then I want to get to know her! The "Cool and Spicy" queen of Open Heart!" The singer squealed, popping his head over his chair to get a better look at the mentioned woman, but instead of simply seeing her in all her glory, he saw her serene face asleep while her face leaned on her palm. _Along with a certain blue-haired man contentedly laying on her lap with his eyes wide open._

"What? _What?_ _WHAT_?" The brunette said, at first a whisper, then growing louder and louder until Ikuto heard him and slightly turned his head.

"Shh," he said, glaring at the singer, his index finger over his mouth.

"Shh? Shh? What the hell are you doing on her lap!?" Kukai yelled, causing all the attention to direct towards the famous supermodel and one of Easter's top moneymakers. With gasps, screams, and rumors instantly spreading around the plane and causing all the passengers to go into chaos, Amu found herself violently awoken.

"Why is it so damn noisy?" she groaned until she looked down to see a smirking little alley cat in her lap.

"Have a nice sleep?" he said casually as if that lap were his home. "Everyone else seems to think we did."

"Everyone?" she turned around to gasp at all the eyes on her - particularly a certain blonde's flaming ones. "Shit, g-get off of me a-already! Who even let you on here?" she shouted, pushing his head off of her. He laughed, slowly sitting up.

"Wasn't it you who let me though? You almost wanted to caress my face after all."

"Y-You were awake?" she said before correcting that in embarrassment. "I-I mean, what kind of lies are you spouting?"

"Hinamori Amu has a thing going on with Tsukiyomi Ikuto?"

"Aren't they from rival companies though?"

"But I haven't heard of this before?"

"Wait guys," Amu said slowly, but her mind was going into a panic compared to her cold surface. "You've got it all wrong-"

"There's nothing wrong," Ikuto spoke up, cutting off Amu in her speech. "Isn't seeing believing? Now if you all could leave the two of us alone, I'd appreciate that." The entire board began gossiping and spreading truths and lies faster than Amu could even continue.

"What are you-"

But Ikuto only pulled her chin up, leaning into her face as she blushed from how close they were. "Let me handle this," he said before closing his eyes and capturing her lips with his. Everybody was shocked into silence as Ikuto delved into Amu's mouth lustfully.

Amu's eyes widened and tried to pull away, but his hands had caught her body and her head, keeping them in place as he literally stole the air in her lungs away. The pinkette immediately shut her eyes tight, not wanting to see him or anything else during this shameful moment. Handle this? He was not handling this the right way!

Kukai fainted at the sight. Kairi trembled in anger. Yaya quickly pulled out her phone, as did the rest of the plane, to snap a photo. Utau was flaming so hard that her seat and the others around it had been reduced to ashes.

_"The plane is now landing. I repeat, the plane is now landing."_

* * *

Any comments, questions, concerns? I'd like a review to hear your opinion so far! Ikuto's identity will be revealed in the next chapter, so stay tuned. c:


	3. Roommates

Pairings: Amu x Ikuto; Minor Amu x Everyone

Disclaimer: I own this story and not Shugo Chara! Inspired by a music video/request.

Rating: 12 and up are welcome!

AN: The project is half-complete now, and we've all successfully learned the dance. We posted a video of the actual dance cover with all the edits and effects and such already on Youtube, although I think for now our leader put it on private for unknown reasons to everyone o_o she's crazy but she is the best dancer so no one can really say anything, LOL. So I suppose we're going to perform a couple of times, at upcoming events like for three temples and a church carnival, I think. Before then, I'll have to drag my butt back to school everyday again. Summer was so beautiful... why must we part? Someone please tell me why.

I hate you, school. You ruin everything for my outside life.

On the other hand, academics aren't so bad for now and I've decided to do a quick chapter! I probably won't finish it and will maybe post this about a few weeks from when this author's note was actually written, so hm. c:

Ready for the next chapter? It's show time! c;

Warnings: Rating is subject to change. You know...

* * *

**Velvet Storm**

* * *

The hotel glowed with luxury and grandness. The walls were made of a stained, gray and black marble that was outlined by smoothly sanded stone, delicate golden carvings glossing over the tall, cream-colored pillars that held everything up in all its glory. Greek and Roman statues decorated every nook and cranny, the fountain at the center before the lobby spouting neon-lighted water out of three dolphin jaws.

The inside was even more fascinating as the walls seemed to made of sterling silver and pearls, all the most expensive brand stores littering the floor and causing a few of the visitors there to gasp at the never-before-seen 2014 edition of Open Heart's Glossy Angel collection. Of course, being the poster girl for that store herself, Amu didn't really pay attention to any of the shopping spree sights.

"Hello," a short and petite young lady smiled, waving her head at the top of an actual, live elephant, decorated and clothed as if the two of them were in India. "My name is Takiko, but you may call me Kiki! I am one of the official supervisors, hosts, MCs, and judges for this year's annual Grand Velvet Storm Cup! Only the best of best will become the rulers behind the curtain of the stage." She patted the gray animal's head twice in a circular motion, and the elephant complied by walking closer towards the contestants that had just landed on the island a few hours prior to arriving at the hotel. "I'm in charge of the hotel activities and regulation, so don't get on my bad side~"

A few others, who were still ecstatic and bubbling about how the famous Takiko, winner of the Velvet Storm Cup three years ago, was in their presence, while others clamored about how they wouldn't be able to sneak out and have fun with her around to chaperone everyone as if they were children. Some were still a bit astounded to see a full-grown elephant in the middle of their lobby when their suitcases could barely fit through the doors.

"Anyways, the rooms will be co-ed. It's one of the many challenges you will face here, but I'm sure you'll all love that anyways. I'll start by handing out numbers. There will be two to a room, so please get with your partner who should have the same number. Oh, and by the way, the numbers are your life. Lose it, and you're out of the competition. That means," the blonde-haired lady smiled innocently, "that if you trade numbers would somebody, and they get in trouble doing who-knows-what, we will use that number to tally up points, punishments, and so on. Please get in a straight line while I record your name to the number I hand to you on my trusty iPad!"

Everyone groaned, separating from their friends to get into line, wishing that they might somehow get the same number. Unfortunately, the numbers Takiko was giving out were in mixed order, and there was no way to pinpoint the exact number a person would want. Amu was about the tenth person in line, with a certain man behind her playing with her hair. "Tch, don't stand right behind me, idiot."

"Why not? Oh, you just want to try to get the same number as me," he pined, smirking down at her as she huffed. Although she was tall, six feet to be exact, Ikuto seemed to have a few inches over her.

"As if." The pinkette stepped forward, her heels clinking on the metallic floor as she made her way to the woman beside her pet elephant, iPad and a jar of papers in her hands. With a smile, the lady in a lavish emerald dress slipped a paper into her hand from the jar, calling her number out loud.

"You are number seven, lucky you!" Amu didn't say anything and took the paper gently, nodding to the woman before walking away. So far, no one had the same number as her. Theirs were bigger numbers, like 27 and 45, etc. She only hoped that bastard didn't get the same number as hers. When he began walking toward her with the most annoying expression ever expressed, she began to dread the outcome.

"Guess what number I am?" he said, laughing. "The perfect number."

"Not seven."

"Yes, but guess what number it is." If it wasn't seven, then she didn't have anything to care about. "I'm number zero. What is that supposed to be?"

"Who knows. Maybe you aren't even supposed to be here. Zero stands for nothing, doesn't it?" Flipping her hair over her shoulder before he could even react to the cold statement, she began clinking her heels away. "I'm going to use the restroom. Don't follow me." Walking away as fast as she could, she noticed her number being called out. Takiko's voice was loud, as expected of a former world-famous singer. The "seven" went echoing through the lobby, followed by a lower "thank you, miss". She could find out who her partner was later. There was no need for it now.

It wasn't as if she would care anyways. It's been a while since she ever really cared.

* * *

Ikuto glared at the lucky other seven. He knew being behind the pinkette would put his chances of being placed with the pinkette at a zero, just like his number, but losing to a kid who had barely debuted last year? He almost felt insulted.

"If it isn't the kiddy king," he said, patting down the one-inch-shorter blonde on the head, and his hand was quickly smacked away. "Calm down, just big brother saying hello."

"As if I ever considered you as one," Tadase shot back, glaring at his former friend. Tadase was currently a singer at Character Entertainment, having just debuted a year ago, but his popularity was on the rise and still rising. For his major accomplishments as one of the best singers last year, he was chosen to participate in the long run for the cup. "You're just a traitor."

"Now, now... Easter was just the better choice. No need to bash if you're jealous," the blue-haired man shrugged, about to walk away when Tadase held him back by the shoulder. His face was one less than furious, but enough.

"You betrayed Character for some extra lousy cash. I'm not going to be jealous of a low-life like you. Even if you are one of the best celebrities of all time."

"All you do is sing, kiddy king. Me, on the other hand? I'm an actor, a music composer, a singer, a dancer, a violinist, a writer, and now I'm about to inherit the title as director of Easter. I'm one of the most talented people in Asia. You, and your puny company... You all have nothing on me. It doesn't matter what you complain about." He shrugged off the singer's grip.

"You... You were my role model! My idol! I looked up to you, and-"

"I'm not that person anymore. For obvious reasons... Now, I'm going to look for my little playmate. See you around," Ikuto waved, leaving the blonde to grit his teeth in frustration behind. He was still such a kid, still trying to confront him after all these years. All he did was spend a few years mentoring the kid, and look at how attached he's become. He'd broken off from Character, and that meant everyone from Character as well.

But he did find interest in Amu. Oh, the little pinkette. There she was now, trotting out of the ladies' restroom, her make-up and hair all touched up. Her face was serene up until they made eye contact, and Ikuto then wished she hadn't seen him so he could admire her peaceful face than her annoyed one.

"What do you want?" Amu asked, tired. Why did he keep following her? She wanted nothing to do with him, this unreliable man. it didn't matter whether he was voted hottest man of the year three years in a row, won hundreds of awards, or had more talents than most agencies could cover.

"You."

"Please," she scoffed, walking past him towards the lobby. Ikuto stood in place, watching her walk away. He had made up his mind: He'd win the cup, and then he'd win Amu's heart as well. She'd leave Character, and then come to Easter under him. It'd work out. If he got tired of her, he'd simply kick her out and she could go crawling back to Character.

That miserable, pitiful, two-faced company.

* * *

Amu sighed. What was wrong with him? He has obviously taken some sort of an attraction to her, but she didn't want to have anything to do with him. Walking away as quickly but gracefully as possible, she quickly found a spot on a nearby empty bench by the side greenery. However, there was already someone sitting on the other side by the time she reached the seat.

The rather interesting-looking blonde looking right at her as she took her place, crossing her legs and staring at her nails, which were perfectly polished red. With a cough, he attempted to start a conversation with the lovely lady that he luckily got to sit next to. He knew her, for anyone in Character who didn't know her name was living under a rock. "Hi, I'm Hotori Tadase. Nice to meet you, Hinamori Amu. You're quite famous in our company," he smiled a bit sheepishly.

"Thanks. Your name's been around the block for a while now too," Amu replied, remembering last year's pandemonium with his introduction and debut as an idol and singer. Though he still had a long way to go, he was doing rather well.

"Not as much as yours. My room number is seven, by the way. Yours?" She held up her number, where seven and seven stared at each other face to face, since the blonde was also holding it up.

"Well... looks like we're roommates."

"Attention, all people!" Takiko called from the far side of the lobby, laughing. "It seems that I accidentally gave out only one number zero! Since this cannot do, I'm going to put number zero into the same room as the number sevens, how lucky! You three will be getting the penthouse room, so yay! Off to your rooms, everybody! You'll want a good night's rest for tomorrow. Have a good evening!" she shouted before stomping outside the hotel with her pet.

With a grand smirk, Ikuto suddenly appeared by the two from behind the bench, tapping both of their shoulders. They both were frozen solid, not bothering to turn around, for they already knew who it was. The blue-haired man leaned forward between both of their heads, an unwanted chuckle echoing in their ears.

"Well... looks like we're roommates."

* * *

Any comments, questions, concerns? I was planning on making this chapter longer than usual, but you can give your gratitude to the homework on my desk all neatly piled and awaiting me and my pen.

I'd like a review to hear your opinion so far! More conflicts and secrets will be revealed next chapter, so stay tuned. c:


	4. Lucky Number 7

Pairings: Amu x Ikuto; Minor Amu x Everyone

Disclaimer: I own this story and not Shugo Chara! Inspired by a music video/request.

Rating: 12 and up are welcome!

AN: Mostly informational, but I assure that next chapter will be spicier than ever. I've been seriously busy lately and the only time I had to update was seriously just an hour ago because I really did not feel like doing homework... I was thinking of actually going on a hiatus, but what's the point of that if I'm still going to be working slow and updating when I can just like other non-hiatus authors.

But that's beside the matter. Enjoy the chapter.

Warnings: Rating is subject to change. You know...

* * *

**Velvet Storm**

* * *

The night, thankfully, passed by with relative ease. Despite being roomed with two other men, Amu didn't let herself slip out of her facade to panic. It wasn't anything relatively new due to her career and management, so it wasn't as bad as it was initially.

The pinkette had claimed an entire bed to herself, making the other two men share a bed. At first Tadase wanted to sleep on the sofas provided beside the walls, but then quickly found discomfort in the rather hard cushions within the hour and had reluctantly climbed into bed as far away from Ikuto as possible.

The penthouse area was designed for two people per side, and each side accompanied each. Amu had an entire bed, a walk-in closet, and bathroom to herself. Ikuto and Tadase had to share their walk-in closet, their bed, and their bathroom. Though the penthouse was made for four people, two of each gender, Amu had the double proportion all to her content little self.

The night passed by with light breaths and small shuffling.

When morning decided to wake them up, it was 9 A.M. The sun fluttered through the sheer curtains of the large windows, the light causing Amu to awaken as her side of the room was the closest to the outside view. The other two were still asleep for about another half hour, and she took this time to let herself linger longer in the bathroom without worry.

By the time Ikuto and Tadase had woken up and were ready, fresh out of the bathroom in their designer clothes for the day, Amu had already disappeared out of the room for breakfast. In fact, she'd been gone before their eyes even opened. Ikuto's eyes wandered off to Amu's undergarments from last night, which had been left carelessly on the her tussled bed along with her nightgown. Tadase caught sight of this as well and only turned away to hide his blush.

"Ahem, I'll be going down first then," the blond man cleared his throat before speaking. As quickly as he could, he began walking towards the door to open it when suddenly the door opened on its own, like electricity. He jumped.

Amu was not amused by the singer, passing through him as if he were a ghost with a large tray of food. She set it down on the nearest, biggest table.

"Did you plan on bringing me breakfast in bed, Amu-koi?" Ikuto suggested seductively as he laid himself back on the bed, a playful expression resting on the palm of his propped up arm. "That's as sweet as strawberries."

The supermodel sharply turned to look at him with a face no less than that of annoyance. "This is my breakfast, not anyone else's. Don't go and get crazy ideas on your own, pervert."

At that, Tadase's mood fell slightly. He thought that she might have had the consideration to bring them breakfast as well, especially since they woke up so late. "I suppose we should go down and get something before they stop serving, Ikuto."

The pinkette tutted her tongue, walking over to her side of the room. Her hands fished out silverware from a cabinet and then washed them in the bathrooms, setting them down on the table afterwards. "Serving time was long over. You can eat with me, but I expect this favor to be returned in full."

Her face was cold, but there was undoubted warmth in her actions and words. Tadase saw this as her facade, since he suspected that she had actually brought them breakfast because she knew the serving time had ended already. Unfortunately, Ikuto saw this as well, a smirk playing on his lips. "Amu-koi, all you have to say is that you really did bring us breakfast. We're very, very grateful," he said, gliding over to the table to take the seat nearest to her. "So grateful, I'll even feed you."

With a scowl so ferocious that it looked permanent on her face, she stood up and swatted the man's coming hand away from her face. "Actually, I'm not hungry anymore. Have it all to yourself, you swine." She started stomped indignantly towards the door, but before leaving, she poked her head back in hesitantly. "And don't forget to share... with Tadase." Then she left.

"You never make things right, do you," the newer singer groaned, joining the bluenette for breakfast. "We could have enjoyed breakfast with her peacefully."

"I rather not," Ikuto shot back with a mouth full of scrambled eggs and crispy bacon. "If anyone could have enjoyed breakfast with her peacefully, it would definitely not be you."

"And why is that?"

"Because she doesn't like you. Isn't it obvious from the way she mostly ignored you just now? I don't want her to force herself to be nice to you when she doesn't have to. You're just a roommate, an opponent... Whereas I'll be her lover." Ikuto stood up, smirking. "It's a shame she couldn't fancy you. I think I'll go catch up to her now."

"But the breakfast-"

"It's not that great, so you can have it. Eating it is actually dulling my appetite." The extremely famous man walked out of the room shortly after without letting the blond man retort, walking at a rapid pace to find the pinkette. When he had his eyes on something, he would make sure it became his. That couldn't happen if his interest is taking interest in someone else.

That little hesitancy this morning to mention Tadase in their conversation was almost insinuating that she cared about him. Luckily for Ikuto, his quick thinking quickly gave the action the opposite effect. It was even better than the dense kid didn't even notice the light blush she had on her face.

He'd quickly turn that blush into a flush, specifically for him.

She had his word.

* * *

Every contestant was now standing on the hot beach sand with only the finest swimming attire in the world: Coach, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Dior - every expensive store name a millionaire could think of.

Ikuto couldn't keep his eyes off of Amu, nor could most men there for that matter. Her uplifted bottom, squatted to round perfection, was incredible in her black bikini bottom, accentuated with red outlining and string, as the same for her top piece. The expensive-looking fabric shimmered in the sun, the silver Chanel symbol below the middle of her C-cupped breasts gleaming. She really had the perfect body, her arms crossed and leaning on one leg with apparent sass.

But Ikuto wasn't any different, as several women also ogled his hard 6-pack abs and defined pectorals and biceps, already glistening from the heat-induced sweat coating his body in a godly manner. Though most of the men there also had a similarly built body, it was Ikuto's overall appearance that separated him from the rest. Although about two other male contestants were wearing the same indigo Versace trunks as he was, the bluenette obviously rocked it the best.

It was almost blinding, two perfect people standing beside each other.

Tadase stood with his friends a few feet away, biting his bottom lip nervously as they continued trying to converse with him. But he was too busy being anxious about Amu and Ikuto's relationship, or at least their future one.

Takiko, clad in a tribal-patterned teal bikini with her hair up in a curled pony tail, stood on the shoreline atop a tall cliff, smiling down at the celebrities. "Good morning, contestants!" she screamed into a microphone, and the crowd greeted her in return in a lazy yet polite manner. "How was your sleep last night? I hope you all got along with your roommates! If not, you can always request to change rooms, however you will be deducted a crucial amount of points that go toward your victory." This received several mixed responses. "Anyways, I want to introduce you all to our photography group for today's photo shoot: Fortune!"

A group of about fifty people walked from behind the tall cliff into the open, and immediately talk was initiated. Fortune was an extremely famous company known for one of the best model photography agencies in Asia, and it was often very difficult to get an offer or acceptance from them. Some of their main customers however were Character and Easter, so both Amu and Ikuto weren't exactly as ecstatic as the rest as they were the top people in their companies after all.

Bothered that the spotlight had been unintentionally stolen from her, Takiko managed to silence the masses with her insanely sweet voice telling everyone to shut the fuck up.

"Okay," she said in the same tone as before. "As most older contestants might know already, the battle for the Velvet Storm Cup will be calculated through the amount of points earned within the course of the contest, and the more points you earn, the better. There will be conditions and consequences that call for point deduction, and I just want to say that we will not hesitate to deduct enough so that victory is impossible. Favoritism is real, my children." Groans emitted from the audience, despite kissing up being the only reason why a few of them were even here. "Every single day, there will be one to three competitions in which everyone must participate to earn points. Those absent without being excused will be deducted 50 points, which really isn't worth it because each competition is only worth about 40 points to the winners without bonus points. You all understand, right? Any _questions_?"

The way she highlighted "questions" in her sentence made it obvious that questions were, well, out of the question. "Great! Let's get started then," she laughed, bouncing around the cliff before doing a flip over the edge and landing safely in one of her coworker's arms in a bridal position. Jumping out of the man's surprised arms (you could tell that that was definitely not staged, as the poor guy must have had a heart attack just then), she walked towards the photography crew and rested her arms over their leader's broad shoulders.

He looked like a foreign model, as he had long, spiky red hair with a tail in the back, plus a muscular body that he wasn't afraid to show off, as all he was wearing was a Canon camera and a pair of Hawaiian trunks. "This is the guy in charge," she said, kissing him lightly on the cheek as a greeting. "His name is Lance. He'll be handpicking his models for today, and if you aren't picked, then you will have to wait until you are grouped with a squad under another photographer. Those under Lance have a chance of being rewarded up to 100 points for bonus, so I hope you did your best to look well today! Good luck!"

To everyone's surprise, Lance spoke fluent Japanese, but his slight accent complimented his amazing looks. "I'll take good care of these beauties, Takiko," he said as if the two were close friends before walking over the group. Immediately several amateur women tried shoving the others aside in a pathetic way to try to get noticed, but that only made them look childish as the American man slid his eyes over and past them. "You," he murmured as he pointed three sexy women out. "You, you, and you."

His eyes slithered over the bodies of the females, licking his lips seductively as he selected one other lady from a group of at least fifty so far. This time it was Utau he had pulled out of the rest, her golden hair in curled bunches as she walked out of the vast cliques in her Kate Spade lavender bikini, decorated with black and pink butterflies on the right side of the outfit. The blonde casted a smirk at Amu, only to be irritated that the pinkette didn't even notice it.

Lance continued gliding over people, who were are feeling quite nervous by now since he had passed at least 100 people after having only picked out five. The redhead sighed as he looked through, disliking the anxiety some of these models were presenting him. What he wanted was not only beauty, but also confidence and charisma. He was also not feeling very lenient today as his girlfriend had just broken up with him two days ago for always being absent in her life. It was tough being an international top photographer... "You," he said as he picked out Ikuto, and suddenly his eyes crashed onto Amu's figure like lightning to sweet, cold metal.

Her entire being simply exuded his top standards, and he didn't know if he could take looking at her for another second.

Taking a quick glimpse at the last of the 200 celebrities without much thought, his hand actually went ahead and grabbed hold of Amu's arm, catching her by surprise as she wasn't even paying attention to him. Now this was someone! It was like she didn't care if she got picked, or maybe she was confident that she was going to be chosen either way? It excited him to no end. (Though to be honest, Amu was only looking away because Ikuto kept on giving her ridiculous looks.)

Surprised to notice that the photographer had actually made skin contact with her, favoritism rang in her mind and she smiled coolly at the photographer. Just by looking at his face, she could tell that he was instantly attracted (though he wasn't the first).

"Definitely you," he breathed. "And that'll be it. I only want seven... It's the lucky number after all."

"Thank you for choosing me," Amu said calmly as she waited for him to take his hand off of her. He didn't.

This slightly angered Ikuto.

"Alright then, if you all would be so kind as to follow me to our shooting area, that'd be fantastic," he grinned, holding Amu even closer to him. "And I'd also like to get to know each and every one of you... as you'll all be in this very same group for the rest of the competition. Including me."

Amu didn't really like the sound of that, noticing that Utau and Ikuto were unfortunately in the same group as her. Ikuto didn't like that Utau was in the same group as him, and Utau didn't like that Amu was in the same group as her as well. She immediately clung to Ikuto, giggling. "Look at Amu, kissing up to him already. She's going to wear out her looks and he'll be tired of her before the real contest even starts." The others also seemed to have the same mindset as Utau, but it seemed that only Ikuto knew what was really going on with that suspicious photographer.

He was the one who liked Amu, not the other way around. She had the same look of half hidden disgust for Lance as she did for him. Though Ikuto would change that in no time.

When they finally reached the shoot, people had already set up and were finished, a few sitting around and drinking and other frolicking their free time away in the waves. Lance immediately called them up to start the photography.

"The theme is Summer Seduction," he announced, setting his camera at the perfect angle. Neither Ikuto nor Amu liked the way he eyed the pinkette as the words left his mouth. "We'll be taking the pictures in the ocean, so you will be getting wet." One of the female models he chose groaned quietly as she had accidentally put on non-water resistant makeup this morning - her name seemed to be Lulu or something of the sort. She was a blonde in a baby blue one-piece that resembled a two piece with two white straps that held the bottom part up and connected it to the top.

"So..." Lance began, licking his lips. "Let's get started."

* * *

I'd like a review to hear your opinion so far! The first arc is finally starting and spicing up next chapter, so stay tuned. c:


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